Pietro Giacomo Palmieri

Sale, London, Christie's, 5 July 1983, lot 239 (as French School, circa 1700);
with Paul Weis, New York; acquired 1990

Gainesville, et. al., 1991-93, no. 37

Drawing much less yellowish and much stronger than in catalogue illustration. Very slightly rubbed down vertical crease, center. A few minor stains in sky, towards top. Backed around all four edges with a narrow strip of an old mount. One or two very minor holes and thin spots. Otherwise very good, fresh and strong. Framed.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

Palmieri was born in Bologna, where he studied with Ercole Graziani. After living in Paris for eight years (1771-79), he moved to Turin, where he worked for the Savoy court as an advisor for the royal collection of prints and drawings.  He also produced trompe l'oeil drawings which are very witty and accomplished compositions consisting of assemblages of prints.¹  Palmieri was also known for his landscapes.  Like this one, they generally reveal a strong debt to seventeenth-century Dutch art but are also reminiscent of contemporary French works.  A group of his landscapes were engraved and published as Il Libro dei paessaggi in 1760.

1. Da Leonardo a Rembrandt, Disegni della Biblioteca Reale di Torino, exhibition catalogue, Turin 1990, no. 127, reproduced